Viola for Me

I had a so/so day today filled with many boring low lights but I’m alive so I guess I can’t complain or maybe I can.

When I got home, I did a little weeding & found this little guy hiding underneath another plant.  The sight of the viola made me smile & think that no matter where you look, there has to be something that makes you forget about what pissed you off 5 minutes ago.

Couldn't Help Myself

I told myself yesterday that I would not post any photos from my garden but I have to sell myself out because things were looking good in the backyard.

So forgive me for my bloom time excitement.

Thinking of You Boo

Saturday while out & about, my boo called & said she spotted some pretty Oriental lilies on $5 clearance at Wal-Mart (of all places). She said there were some red & some pink ones but that was all she knew. I said sure get me whatever & that would be cool.

Later, I got home & saw these awesome Dwarf Oriental lilies & I was so geeked.

Today after I got home from a BO campaign mtg, I changed into my garden gear & hit the yard to get busy.

After everything was planted, I thanked my boo again for such great floral picks. And you know I had to pull out the camera………

Finding Beauty Where There is Little

Chicory is such an easy plant to hate because a) it is considered a weed here b) the body & foliage of the plant is hideous but the wonderful blue bloom that it produces more than makes up for its shortcomings.

And no, this was not taken in my backyard!

The Abstract Macro Photographer

Over the past 3 years, when I photographed flowers in my garden, I always took full on shots, to capture the entire bloom & I was happy with that. 

This spring, my mindset on what is beautiful about flowers has changed as my macro photography skill morphed into something that I did not imagine.  My hand has become very steady, I have learned to work with the wind, when conditions are not in my favor & I now use rain to my advantage.

Lately, I have been finding the beauty in what makes flowers beautiful & have been loving my discoveries inside, and around blooms.

I don’t post many floral shots here but I have flooded my Flickr page with them & I have been enjoying the responses to my abstract macro floral shots,

Here are a few from today that I took after I walked my mother through my gardens.  She managed to get me to give her a few things but some thing I just could not part with, such as my “flame” calla lilies.

Bits & Pieces

As of yesterday, I’m ahead of schedule with the completion of my garden clean up & annual planting. When I got off work yesterday, I planted 6 gerbera daisies, 3 torch lilies, 2 hen & chicks, 1 elephant ear, 12 caladium bulbs, put together 3 planter boxes & spread 24 cubic feet of cypress mulch. Basically, I worked like a Hebrew slave for 3 hours.

All that I have left to do is plant 30 gladiolus bulbs & spread a little more mulch & this means that I will have a relaxing but exciting 3-day weekend.

My weekend actually started yesterday after all of my garden work & attending Olivia’s school play. After the play & dinner, Olivia & I went to see the new Indiana Jones movie “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, which was fucking awesome. When it comes out on DVD, I will purchase all 4 films in the franchise. “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” has been getting some mixed reviews but I loved it. For me it was like an updated version of what I knew growing up. All of the action, dumb one-liners & interesting plots gave me what I needed to be fully satisfied.

Since I am on the topic of movies, I recently saw two other great movies that are worth checking out, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” & “Iron Man”. The newest installment of the Narnia franchise is good but not as awesome as the first and it is much more violent & IMHO even more violent than “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”. If you check it out, I would not take kids under 12 & if you do see it, rent the first one so you can be up to speed.

“Iron Man” was fucking awesome & it will be in my DVD collection as soon as it drops. It is totally a man’s movie: action, sex, speed, bravado, back stabbing, shit blowing up, etc… I wish it was in iMax, that would taken it over the top. And last on the movie note, Monday, I think we are doing a family movie date to see “Speed Racer”. I’m not all that thrilled about seeing it but the kids are harassing us.

Back to my weekend! So tomorrow, I am I am getting my hair color touched up for the summer & by 3pm tomorrow I will have my look back together. Mary Henderson @ the Meagan Mitchell Salon in Ferndale, MI is the shit!!! She is quick & really knows her stuff, which makes it so worth the money.

After I get my red hot look back in place, I will be making my way downtown Detroit for the “Detroit Electronic Music Festival” (DEMF) for a photo journey adventure with Cousin Dee (also a photographer). Over the last 2 weeks, I was trying to land a press pass, but shit was tight & I was not able to make it happen, so I gave up & just said fuck it, it will be worth the 25 bucks. Flashback::::::::: Monday, I got an email from my girl & Nicole Brown of the Detroit Fashion Pages who wanted to interview me & get my thoughts on what the DEMF means to me & the city. It was a good interview & I certainly had an opinion (imagine that). OK, flashforward::::::::: today I get a call from Nicole.

Phone Rings: Hmmm, it’s Nicole

Bygbaby: Hey Boo (why is everybody's my boo???)
Nicole: Heyyyyy

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
...Small talk...

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nicole: Guess what?
Bygbaby: What?
Nicole: I scored 2 VIP tix for the DEMF.
Bygbaby: Wow, that’s awesome!!! (Can you say 175 a piece)!
Nicole: Would you like one?
Bygbaby: Hell yeah!!!
Nicole: When will you be in Detroit?
Bygbaby: Tomorrow around 330ish.
Nicole: Cool, then call me when you make it & I can meet you to give you the pass.
Bygbaby: Bet, talk to you tomorrow!

I then hang up & scream YESSSSSS inside my head. I was just on the DEMF Myspace page & looked at the VIP package & was like, I wish I had it going on like that to just drop 175 bucks on something not family, flower or camera related.

The VIP ticket comes with:
- 3 day admittance
- Private check-in area to receive your credentials

- Access to large area above and behind the main stage

- Private bar - 15 complimentary drink tickets - $5 drinks available when you run out of tickets

- Deluxe private executive bathroom trailers

- Complimentary Movement T-shirt ($20 value) from the Movement store

I am super excited. Now I just have to figure out how to share this with Cousin Dee. I will figure something out; I always do.

After the DEMF (around midnight), Cousin Dee & I are heading to the Northland Roller Rink for Kenny Dixon’s (aKa MoodyMann) Soul Skate. And no, I will not be skating! I am not trying to fuck my ankle back up. We will be people watching, photographing & talking shit with party people friends (not real friends, just friends we meet out & about). Anyway, this is a DEMF weekend must attend party because you never know who will be there & what will jump off!

After some sleep, Sunday breakfast & house cleaning, I will be headed back to Detroit to attend my good friend Dahia Shabaka’s retirement party at the Charles H Wright AA History Museum. Dahia is a real inspiration to me & helped me look at my Blackness in a new & educated light. We have only known each other for a little over three years but it has been a good friendship.

Last year, when I started getting very close to making the decision to change my name, she guided me & helped me understand what I would be going through, legally, mentally & with family & friends. For that I am forever indebted.

After the celebration, I will be headed back to the DEMF to see Mark Farina perform & I am really looking forward to that. I hope to be home by 12ish cause I gotta get my ass up on Monday to help clean up, finish the garden work & season the chicken for out chicken & waffles dinner.

Now that I look back on my schedule, seeing “Speed Racer” is going to be tight. Maybe we can catch the early show on Sunday.

Anyway, back to gardening, here are a few shots from the last couple of days.

Have a safe weekend!

May Flowers

After 5 evenings of work, I finally finished clearing all of the weeds, grass & dead plants from my 6 gardens!!!

Today, I started planting some annuals & tomorrow, I will be mulching.  I made a promise to myself to have everything done including my container gardens my Memorial Day.  Will I be able to do it is another thing!

And speaking of gardening, Sunday I did my 1st self imposed photojournalist assignment. My job was to visit the annual "Flower Day" event at the Eastern Market (Detroit's farmers market) and tell the story from that shows how great the event was for gardeners, people watchers & families.

It was a fun assignment to do but I was so tempted to put my camera up & shop for flowers & plants for this year's garden. I managed to leave only spending 20 bucks, which is a drop in the bucket of how much I can spend there on any given day.

Anyway, please have a look here, I promise that you will not be bored, or at least I hope...

Baby, It's Cold Outside II

I don't know how much snow we got today but it was whole hell of a lot! When I finally decided to get off my ass to assess how much I need t shovel, all I could do was shout out SHIT, that is a lot of mutha fuckin' snow.

So I looked out on my back deck to see how much stacked up there & again, I shouted out SHIT. There had to be at least 2ft out snow there.

Before I mustered up the energy to go outside with the snow blower, my overly nice, Black republican neighbor came over & did my front sidewalk & driveway. I was like cool but I know this will mean that I will need to listen to one of his speeches on how I need to switch political parties etc.

After my surgery earlier this year, he shoveled my snow for me & I was so thankful because I was not able to, as I was on walking restrictions for like 2½ months. I really need to get him a gift of appreciation like soon.

I took this photo on my back deck today. The pot that this plant (Ginger Root Ficus) is in is at least 8 inches tall. I dropped it in the snow froze my ass off until I got the shot that made me smile.

Getting Broke & Finding Inspiration

Going to Whole Foods is always a fun trip but as anyone who shops there, it can break yo’ ass & today was no exception for me.

I simply stopped in to pick up a salad for lunch & next thing I know, I’m at the register with purple artichokes, pomegranates & an $18water SIGG water bottle (what the fuck was I thinking???).

The fruit & veggies were of course to eat but really for me to get some cool photographs. Now when I see certain fruits or veggies, especially ones that are not totally common, I think about how I could compose them for a shot.

Anyway, here is my hard earned money at work.

We will be having pomegranates for desert tonight & the artichokes with dinner tomorrow.

Pomegranates: Did You Know:

• Exodus 28:33–34 directed that images of pomegranates be woven onto the borders of Hebrew priestly robes
• The Qur'an mentions pomegranates three times (6:99, 6:141, 55:068) — twice as examples of the good things God creates, once as a fruit found in the Garden of Paradise
• The Moors (Yes, Negroes) who brought the seedy fruit to Spain round 800 A.D.
• Spanish Padres are credited with bringing pomegranates to California in 1769

Artichokes: Did You Know:

• Purple artichokes are more nutritious than their green counterpart.
• Artichokes are native to the Mediterranean basin
• California claims to be the "Artichoke Capital of the World."
• Total crop value of artichokes for the 2002-2003 crop season was almost $50 million

Bygbaby Factoid:
I love marinated artichokes on fresh green salads.

Colors That I Love: Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles Mortes)

My post title is inspired by Ledisi's version of "Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles Mortes)" from her "Feeling Orange But Sometimes Blue" album 2002 (which has sold on eBay & Amazon several times for more than 100 bucks).

"The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold

Since you went away the days grow long
And soon Ill hear old winters song
But I miss you most of all my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall"

Did I ever tell you how much I love autumn? The rich & vivid colors of tree leaves, crisp but yet gentle breezes & Suite Suzy’s chili make this time of year special.

As I drive around living life in my suburban country hell, I see oranges & yellows from the fall gourds, reds & gold from ripening apples, & bales of golden hay.

Autumn is also the time I get to enjoy Chrysanthemums, Asters, Chinese Lanterns & best of all, planting my spring bulbs, winter pansy & violas.

I think maybe in the next week or so, I will start pulling out my fall wardrobe & put away my summer things because I am ready.

In case you are wondering what this is a picture of, it is a Chinese Lantern flower also know as a "love in a cage bloom". The name "love in a cage" is because once the flesh decays, you see a bright red or orange seed inside of what looks like a cage (see the veins).

Are you into autumn, if not, what is your season?

It's Cool to be White

Three years ago, I purchased a "Luna Red" (burgundy) Dinner Plate Hibiscus aKa Disco Belle Hibiscus plant for accent color in one of my front yard gardens. Over the past three years, the plant has grown nicely & every August, I get excited waiting on the giant burgundy blooms to add a splash of color.

So about a week ago, the blooms started & they are bigger than ever & the plant is huge this year.

Today, one week since the blooms started, I am walking out the door to get into the car & happen to look over at the hibiscus. To my amazement, I see this huge white mystery bloom shining brightly in the morning sun.

I walked up to it & fell in love with this little white surprise! This bloom actually looks like the "Crown Jewels" variety of the Dinner Plates. So I run back into the house, grab my camera & take a few snapshots. This really set my day off in the direction.

Dinner Plate Hibiscus Info: Unlike any other flower in the garden, hardy hibiscus offer us flowers that are both huge and delicate, as if they were fashioned from crepe paper. The flowers range from a petite 3 or 4 inches across to the proverbial dinner plate, 8 to 12 inches in diameter!

These are great showy plants late summer blooming, add fun & lots of bright color.

Botanically these plants are Hibiscus moscheutos. They are native to marshy areas of North America and sometimes they go by the common name mallow.

A Midsummers Gardener's Dream

Outside of my visit to the Secretary of State office (DMV), I had a great week. Work was good & I got another little raise, which brings me up to a total of 9% (partly due to my new promotion) this year, I cooked a few good meals for the ladies in my life, I finally updated my Funky Jazz Bygmix Podcast, I saw Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix again but this time on IMAX and it was phenomenal (again but better because the IMAX version has a 3d segment), I got my locks tightened & I look normal by the head now & my gardens have been jumping off.

To continue the good vibes through the weekend, I’m going to the opening celebration at the new Apple store near me (I am a nerd!) then I am getting a "Mankind Pedicure" tomorrow at the Fundamentals Spa (I got a gift certificate there for Fathers Day & it’s Black Owned!!!!!!) & to wrap the day I’m going on a photo expedition with Cousin Dee.

Sunday the ladies & I are heading for the Detroit Concert of Colors & maybe dinner. I’m excited about the next couple of days & hope not to encounter any roadblocks but hey I know shit does happen.

Anyway, as mentioned above, my gardens have just been ablaze with color & wonderful perfume making my visits very delightful. I truly love this part of summer because this is about the time my lilies are blooming & I get to bring more of my own fresh cut flowers to work to brighten my office.

My flowers at work always attracts people to my office to ask questions about my blooms & recently I learned that having fresh flowers make people more happy more often. If you are interested in being happier click here for more info.

Before I retire for the night I would like to share with you my latest garden shots & I hope that they add some positive energy to your day.

If you cannot see, you may need the latest Flash player.

Furry Little Things vs Bygbaby

Since I have been gardening at my current home rabbits have plagued me. These little bastards eat anything that stands in their way including some of my favorite plants. I have tried everything to stop them from spraying spicy concoctions on the plants, sprinkling fox urine around the garden to buying a trap cage etc.

I can’t tell you how many times I have actually chased rabbits in my backyard. In true Elmer Fudd fashion, the rabbit always gets away. So this year I kinda gave up & to my surprise, I had no rabbit drama. None of my Asiatic lilies were not chomped down, my clematis vines were able to actually grow this year with being eaten alive & best of all, there are no little rabbit shit balls all over the place.

So today when I was out back getting new snapshots, I kept hearing this little noise but could not find the source so I just chalked it up to the wind. Then while I was taking one of my last snapshots a field mouse popped out of nowhere & scurried in front of me like grease lightening.

Did the rabbits leave the oasis of my backyard to the mice???

I’m not sure how big of a pest field mice are but as long as my plants are safe, I can handle anything else. Hopefully there is not a large family of them somewhere in my backyard or perhaps my new next-door neighbor is Willard (it may be time for a cat).

Anyway, since I got my new camera, my floral snapshots look even better & I am excited to share with you my shots from today, enjoy!

If you cannot see, you may need the latest Flash player.

Red is the Color

For the past week or so, my backyard has looked like Fred Sanford’s front yard, piled up with all sorts of patio furniture, a BBQ grill, plant pots etc because I was having my cedar deck & gazebo cleaned & weather protected.

Finally, yesterday the job was completed, which means before I head to New York this coming Sunday I have to get off my ass to put everything back where it goes. I am tired just thinking about it but I am looking forward to seeing my summer chill spot looking flawless.

As I was surveying the work today after work, I noticed that I had a burst of red & pink color going on around me in the gardens; so of course I had to take some snap shots (see below).

After I was done taking my photos, I went inside loaded my shots up in Photoshop & fell the fuck to sleep. 2 hours later I woke up abruptly to the ring of the doorbell (Suite Suzy ordered a pizza for dinner) & nearly dropped my laptop, which was still resting on my legs & hot as hell.

If you cannot see, you may need the latest Flash player.

The Way I Feel

As I type this, I am listening the end of News & Notes on NPR, my throat is started to become sore again, my eardrums are swelling, I have a damn headache & I am kinda pissed off that the bitch ass sheriff in CA let Paris Hilton out of jail way early.

I have been dealing with these ailments for the last 2 weeks & have been to damn lazy to take the time to go to see my Dr. I have just been doping up on Advil & when it has been really bad, I had to pop a Vicodin (legally obtained) or 2 to get to sleep.

At this point, I think I need to make that call to be seen tomorrow. With my luck, it will be the one weekend when the office is not open. I guess I will see in about 12 hours.

Anyway, as soon I hit “Publish post” (if you use Blogger, you know what I mean) I will be popping pills & taking an early evening nap.

Before I crack the pill bottle, I would like to share with you some recent snapshots from the garden. I took these today because I was inspired after seeing one of my lavender plants in bloom with & then I got even more excited when I noticed that one of my Asiatic lily bunches had bloomed vibrant orange petals.

If you cannot see, you may need the latest Flash player.

Peace,

Bygbaby

Something Beautiful Remains

When you say Thistle to most gardeners, they give you the look that says oh my God, not in my garden. Not only is Thistle invasive, it is prickly & can be hard to get rid of sometimes.

Last year I noticed that I had a patch of Thistle that I fought to death to get rid of & finally in August I won the fight, or so I thought.

I realized I lost the fight when I went to canvas on of my gardens in late April and say some Thistle that was 2 feet tall. I immediately grabbed my shovel & weeding tool to get rid of it & during the process I pricked myself countless times & I even drew a little blood (I HATE THISTLE). So far I have a few that came back so I know I will have a busy summer trying to get rid of them.

For a while I wondered why I had so many Thistle plants, then one day it dawned on me that I had so many because of the Goldfinches. You see, the Goldfinch thrives on Thistle seed & last summer I purchased a gallon of Thistle seed that was not neutralized meaning that each dropped seed would more than likely sprout a plant (I should not have been cheap & paid the 3 dollars to get the good stuff).

While Thistle is a pain in the ass & pretty ugly, not many can deny that Thistle flowers are very beautiful. Shit, after surfing for info on Thistle I found that Cotton Thistle (very pretty) is the national flower of Scotland.

Anyway, 2 weeks ago I noticed that there was a Musk Thistle plant growing near my office building & at that point it was at least 3 feet high. I was wondering when the landscaping company was going to get rid of that mutha fucka & its prickly friends because the shit looked awful.

Well it 2 weeks later & that same Thistle is 6 feet tall & growing out of fucking control. Yesterday I noticed that it actually bloomed & had many more flower heads read to burst into action. So today I decided to take a few snapshots because of this beautiful but Martian looking flower.

It so funny how such a noxious garden pest can produce such a spectacular flower. It's kinda like when 2 ugly people get together & produce a pretty baby.

In about a day or so the bloom will be full & bright so I hope to get a shot of that as well because I know you care & really wanna see.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Thistle Background

Thistle is the old English name - essentially the same in all kindred languages - for a large family of plants occurring chiefly in Europe and Asia, of which we have fourteen species in Great Britain, arranged under the botanical groups Carduus, Carlina, Onopordon and Carbenia, or Cnicus. (Source)

A native of western Europe, musk thistle was introduced into the eastern United States in the early 1800s and has a long history as a rangeland pest in the U.S. It was first discovered in Davidson County, Tennessee in 1942 and has been declared a noxious weed in many states. (Source)

Bird Watching Dish Washer

Washing dishes is not one of my favorite house chores things to do most days but in the spring & summer I feel a little bit better about it.

I feel better about busting the suds in the spring & summer because I this is when my American GoldFinch feeder gets a lot of action.

I like watching these little rays of sunshine dart around my backyard & fight for a perch to fill its belly.

Although my bird feeder is specifically for GoldFinches, I get many House Finches & Chickadees.

I by no means a serious bird watcher but sometimes I find myself losing time watching the birds in my garden frolic about.

Later this summer I will start to get Humming Birds the love my Bee Balm, Gladiolus & Red Hot Pokers.

The shots (3 in 1) below were taken today while I was putting away the pots & pans from last night’s dinner.

My name is Bygbaby & I am addicted to bees & things & flowers.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Goldfinch Facts

• The American Goldfinch changes from winter plumage to breeding plumage by a complete molt of its body feathers. It is the only member of its family to have this second molt in the spring; all the other species have just one molt each year in the fall.
  
  
• The American Goldfinch is one of the latest nesting birds. It usually does not start until late June or early July, when most other songbirds are finishing with breeding. The late timing may be related to the availability of suitable nesting materials and seeds for feeding young.
  
  
• The American Goldfinch is gregarious throughout the year. In winter it is found almost exclusively in flocks. In the breeding season it feeds in small groups. Whether it maintains breeding territories is debatable.
  
  
• The American Goldfinch is mostly monogamous, but a number of females switch mates after producing a first brood. The first male takes care of the fledglings while the female goes off to start another brood with a different male.

Green Thumb Stress Relief

I waned you before that I reserve the right to bore you with pictures from my gardens a few weeks ago so don’t trip.

Today after I left the plantation I headed for a local garden center to get some Red Coral Bells to plant in a shady spot that I am redoing but when I saw what they had to offer I had to change my plan because I was not impressed at all.

So I revised my plan & got 2 Ostrich Ferns, 3 Pink Gloxinias, 2 Black Tropicannas, three big & juicy purple Hen & Chicks & some top soil. I went a little berserk up in there considering I went for one thing. It was kinda like when you go to Target to get toilet paper that is on sale for 12 bucks & you wind up spending 85 bucks & wonder why when you get back to the car.

I was excited to get home to redo my little shade spot (the Tropicannas are not for the shade garden). So now I am home in my garden gear & as I walk up to my work zone, I pass a few of my Irises which are almost spent and quickly decide that I need to photograph them before it was too late. 30 minutes later, I had basically did a photo shoot of all of my late blooming spring plants & I had more going on that I thought.

As I was taking my snapshots, I found a robin’s nest & chick chilling on the back end of my gazebo, which put another sile on my face.

After my photo shoot, I got busy planting my new babies and as start digging holes I kept hitting something hard so I prayed that it was not some gas line or something. Lord knows I do not want to go up in smoke doing what I love. Quickly I find out that I was actually hitting three rose colored boulders that I dug up rinsed off & placed near my other boulders that surround my giant Butterfly Bush. This was a good find big time because I was thinking to myself that I wanted a few new boulders for the Butterfly Bush so I saved my self a few bucks.

Anyway, it is now 830, I am tired as hell, stank & sweaty like a true fields slave but everything has been planted with the exception of the Tropicannas, & some lilies that I had to move from the shadey spot (I have no idea why I planted these lilies in the shade in the 1st place). Tomorrow, I will have to pick up where I left off.

It’s now 915, I am put of the shower feeling fancy free, I spray on some Xeryus & put on my Givenchy lounge wear with the burgundy trim (actually I put on some Quench Body Mousse & sported my Old Navy lounge wear (LOL), for some reason DJ Quick was on my mind.) & head down stairs to eat my burrito that Suite Suzy brought home for my dinner.

I had a great evening in the garden & I am feeling stress free!

Here are a few shots, I hope you enjoy my late spring blooms.

If you cannot see, you may need the latest Flash player.

Tip Toeing Through The...

Last weekend officially marked gardening season for me & damn is my body sore. Wait let me back up a little to give you some history.

My name is Bygbaby & I love to garden, actually I am addicted to playing in the dirt & gazing at beautifully painted flowers that litter my 9 gardens.

Since we moved into our current house my passion for gardening has increased significantly because a) I want to have the best landscape on my block & b) it really helps to relieve stress.

So anyway last Saturday I spent the morning at the Detroit Farmers Market aKa Eastern Market picking out some new perennials (plants that come back annually) and shopping for little garden crafts & I had a ball. To control myself, I only took 100 bucks so needless to say I didn’t get much but I was really happy with what I did get.

Wait again, actually I got 100 bucks but I had to save at least 15 of that for lunch with Cousin Dee.

So with the 85 buck I spent I was able to get an ornamental banana tree, 2 Zebrina plants, 2 Grosso Lavender plants, 4 Fiber Optic Ornamental Grasses, 1 Martha Washington Geranium, 2 giant spikes & lastly, I found a garden artist selling these little mushrooms made out of a gourd bottom perched on a bamboo stalk. I just had to have these little jewels & she was more that happy to take my last.

Damn, after I wrote that out, what in the fuck was I thinking? I spent way too much & barley got anything. Usually, when I go to the Farmers Market, I try to wheel & deal but I think I was so fucking happy that the planting/gardening season was underway I did not care about the prices.

My plan after the market was to hook up with Cousin Dee @ Eph McNally’s with my last 15 bucks for a corned beef sandwich. I always get the #15 (Briggs Stadium) which has corned beef, scallion cream cheese & lettuce (I also add onion) served on pumpernickel (Suite Suzy got me hooked on this sandwich). And after lunch I was supposed to head home to start cleaning out my gardens to get ready for this year. Well that never happened.

After lunch I had a severe case of Niggaitis. Shit when I did get home I had to take me a damn nap, which lasted for a good 3 hours.

When I did wake up, it was too late for me to do any cleaning up outside so I promised myself that I would work on things Sunday.

Fast Forward: So now its Sunday night & I wiped out. I worked in my gardens weeding, clearing out dead shit & planting all that I had brought the previous day.

Fast Forward one mo gin: Its now Wednesday, my back is sore, my ass muscles are spazzing out & I think I fucked up my knee, basically I feel like I have had my ass beat with a bat.

I go through the same pains year after year so I think next year, I will have to do some stretches before or something to get in shape.

From June through September, I spend at least 20 hours a week enjoying & working in the gardens, so I may bore you with my garden photography this year because I am always so proud of what I grow so be prepared from some beautiful botanicals.

Below are a 3 shots from my Lily collection. Currently I have 13 species of lilies that include Daylilies, Oriental Lilies, Asiatic Lilies, & Trumpet Lilies. As a matter of fact Lilies in general are my favorite perennial. This year my collection will be off the hook because the rabbits that live in my back yard have disappeared (I hope they are dead somewhere) & b) I just spent an ass load at the Lily Garden for 12 new Oriental & Trumpet Lilies.

Speaking of pictures, I need to get off my ass & take some pictures of my Lupine & Iris collections, which are in full bloom now.